As problematic as the work’s premise is, I am confused by the tone. With the wildly over-played British accents and having women play males soldiers with an over-the-top manner and the prisoners, especially the women, I’m not sure if Our Country’s Good is suppose to be a comedy or a parody or a satire? But with so much cruelty toward the prisoners by most of the soldiers, it is hard to see the piece as more than melodrama.
The Lyric Opera of Chicago has mounted a most pleasing production of Puccini’s favorite opera—Madama Butterfly. Each time I see Butterfly live on stage. I am overwhelmed by the haunting and melodic score by Puccini. I can see why this is one of the most beloved operas of all-time. The sheer intensity and sweeping majesty of the Japanese set (design by Christopher Oram), in a new production, together with Puccini’s theatrical score made for a marvelous experience. Add the exquisite voice of Amanda Echalaz who deftly depicts Cio-Cio-San as the epitome of devotion,
hope and honor. Patricia Racette takes over the role of Cia-Cia-San for the January, 2014 dates and she received an enthusiastic standing ovation on January 11, 2014.
This landmark play (for 1934 audiences), The Children’s Hour, is a drama set in an all-girls boarding school run by two women, Karen Wright and Martha Dobie. An angry student, Mary Tilford, runs away from the school and to avoid being sent back she tells her grandmother that the two headmistresses are having a lesbian affair. The accusation proceeds to destroy the women’s careers, relationships and lives.
After a weak 136 performances on Broadway in 2012, the producers of Ghost The Musical are trying to recoup their investment via a national tour which is here at the Oriental Theatre until January 19, 2014. At $95 for the top ticket, with a non-Equity cast of players who are both inept singers and shallow actors, Ghost The Musical doesn’t deliver on most levels.
After skipping the last couple of years of the Annual Chicago Young Playwrights Festival, now in its 27th year, I was delighted to see what the today’s teens view of the world is in 2014. It turned into a mixed bag of theatre from a moralizing work to a chilling one to a comic one.
Here are my picks for the Top Ten Plays in Chicago in 2013
Tom Williams
I never knew how Roy spent the holidays until I needed to borrow his copy of the Gershwin musical, Crazy For You. Roy had a vast collection of theatre memorabilia and I always found him to be the source. I promised my nephew that we would watch the musical so he could be introduced to the wonders of Gershwin music. It was noon on Christmas Eve, snow was falling faster than the plows could remove it. I needed that tape. A promise is a promise.
It is so refreshing to experience classical Browadway musicals mounted like the originals. With all the original Robert Russell Bennett’s orchestrations played by a 30 person orchestra, Annie Get Your Gun, now a holiday treat at Cahn Auditorium in Evanston produced by Light Opera Works, is a marvelous musical containing one of Broadways’ most memorable scores
That decision wears thin on Billy over the years since tones, nuance and timber escape him during the often tremulous family spats. Billy is the only family member who truly listens. He never feels a complete member of the family. That world is challenged when Billy meets Sylvia (Alana Arenas) who is a child of deaf parents and one whose hearing is quickly fading. Billy instantly falls in love with Sylvia who introduces her the the larger Deaf community. Billy learns to sign after prodding from Sylvia.. This exposure sparks a struggle for self-identity for Billy. He realizes that their is a larger world available to him through signing and the Deaf community.
Once the Holme’s method of crime solving gets going there is no stopping that process. Beside the goose caper, once Holmes discovers that said goose had a large blue carbuncle jewel belonging to the Countess of Morcar, they mystery is “on.” With the help of the game cast of players and foley artists with sprinkles of Christmas songs, the case is a fun dash of Christmas intrigue.